Art of Ebony
by Christian de Medich
Summary: Tomoyo Daidouji has a secret that she's been keeping from everyone, even Sakura, but Meilin and Syaoran seem to know what it is... (Sakura Tomoyo & Li Meilin)
1. Part 1

**Art of Ebony  
Part 1**

* * *

_This is a very random spur of the moment Cardcaptor Sakura fic I decided to do one day. Canon is avoided a little, especially with Tomoyo's area, but I thought it would be interesting anyway. A bit of shojo ai but all innocent. I must thank Joan for the spiffy title! Cardcaptor Sakura and all characters are (C) CLAMP. This fic was made by a fan for fans. Please don't sue!_

* * *

Morning's rays peaked through the window of a well to do mansion. Normally, one would awaken to such luminosity. However, Tomoyo Daidouji was already awake. The sunlight's rays only caused her luxurious black hair to glisten like strands of pure ebony. Even though her hair shone brightly, her eyes reflected glints of sadness as she gazed at her calendar. Her finger pointed to the current date, then trailed off to a later one. Her frowned changed to an expression of one who wanted to cry. 

"It's almost time, isn't it?" she asked herself. She held her right wrist with her left hand and looked down as she opened and closed her hand. "I have to find a way out." 

The date on her calendar had no specific mark on it. Perhaps it was one of those dates of which only Tomoyo knew the answer and decided to keep track of in her mind only. As she closed her eyes, she knew all well what sort of day that was going to be. 

The day was coming where Tomoyo Daidouji would allow herself twenty-four hours of selfishness. 

* * *

Punch, kick. Slow movements, fast movements. Those and many more actions were what people were greeted with as they departed from school. Meilin was outside on the school yard, practicing her katas. The forms of her traditional Wu Shu style were very slow and graceful, but every once in awhile she allowed some sharp movements from hard styles to trickle in. Anyone with an inkling of martial arts knowledge would guess that Meilin was making up the form as she went along. Li was also there watching, arms folded and unimpressed, contrary to the passerbys who gasped in awe and applauded. Li had grown up with martial arts in his everyday life. They were nothing special to him. 

Soon, Sakura Kinomoto and the ever-present Tomoyo joined the crowd. Everyone knew how inseparable those two were. Li acknowledged their presence with a mere glance. That was good enough for him who didn't really speak to anyone else. Sakura waved to him but he brushed her off with a glare. 

"L-Li-kun..." Sakura sweatdropped with a sheepish smile and wave, as she was used to Li glaring at her every morning. Her trail of sight went to Meilin who was still practicing some martial arts movements or the other. Now, Meilin was making up all her moves which involved cartwheels and fancy jump kicks. Sakura's eyes went wide as she watched Meilin's smooth movements. She knew nothing about martial arts but just knew that whatever Meilin did looked awesome. "Hoe! Tomoyo-chan, look! She's so good!" Sakura squealed as she pointed. 

"Years of practice must have done her well." Tomoyo commented with a gentle smile. "Although, Sakura-chan, I think you'd do just as well if you practiced katas too." She placed her small hands on Sakura's shoulders and giggled. 

Sakura jumped. "N-no way, Tomoyo-chan! I could never do something like that! I'm only good at baton twirling and gymnastics, but martial arts is too far away from my league for me." Her face had that adorable 'It's too complicated for me' closed-eyed look to which Tomoyo giggled amusedly. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, why is Meilin showing off today of all times? Is she trying to prove she can beat anyone in school?" 

"That is where you are wrong, Sakura." Meilin stopped her kata to put her hands on her hips and gloat. "I will prove that I can beat anyone in the world!" 

Li rolled his eyes. He had probably heard this all before many, many times. He folded his arms and closed his eyes with a clear-as-day "I need an asprin" look. 

The brown-haired girl shrinked back behind an unfazed Tomoyo as Meilin approached them. "For your information, the Worldwide Children's Kumite Tournament is being held right here in Japan in two days - this Saturday for the misinformed - at the national stadium. Of course, you know where that is, right? Because if you don't, you're really sad, I mean..." 

While Meilin continued to prattle, Sakura turned to Tomoyo. "Worldwide Children's Kumite Tournament? I've never heard of it. What's Kumite anyway?" 

"Kumite is a term for free sparring. That means you fight your opponent one on one." Tomoyo whispered back. "As for the tournament, it's a gathering of all the best children fighters in the world. I heard the tournament used to be national, but because some rioters complained about how it promotes violence with children, it's been banned in many countries. So it's become sort of underground." 

"Underground?" Sakura repeated, still whispering. All of what Tomoyo was whispering to her went over her head completely. She would get it eventually once all the information sunk in, but not right now. 

"That means in secret." came Tomoyo's reply. 

"Oh..." Sakura gave Tomoyo this incredulous look of, 'How did you know?' "You're so smart, Tomoyo-chan. I don't know what I'd do without you." 

Meilin continued on like nobody had ignored her. She must have said everything that Tomoyo already explained, although it was much easier to understand Tomoyo and much harder to interpret Meilin's logic through her bragging. "I will be competing again and proving once again that I am the best!" 

"You competed last year?" Sakura asked. It came to her as a complete surprise that Meilin would be competing in such a secret tournament, despite that it came as no shock to everyone else. "Wow! What place did you get?" 

Meilin smirked arrogantly. "Well, I don't mean to brag - and Heavens know that I never brag, I only speak the truth - but I won first place." 

Li slapped a hand over his groaning face. Nobody seemed to notice. 

"WOW!" Sakura clasped her hands to both sides of her face, all wide-eyed in amazement. "Meilin! First in the entire world? You're amazing!" 

"I'd expect nothing less of you." Tomoyo smiled sweetly. 

Meilin glanced at Tomoyo, neither girls' expressions unchanging, then back at Sakura. "Are you coming to watch the upcoming competition, Sakura? If you're lucky, I'll mention your name to the reporters when they interview me on my triumphant win." 

Sakura shuddered nervously. Her, Sakura Kinomoto, attend a martial arts tournament despite the fact she knew nothing about the genre? It was very rude to decline such a once in a lifetime event. "I... I don't know if I'm allowed, but I'll ask. I might feel a little out of place, though. I mean, I know nothing about fighting or martial arts or all that. I think it's kinda scary." She looked at Li. "Ne, Li-kun, are you entering the tournament, too? You can fight pretty well too, I think..." 

Li gave a uninterested shrug. "No. I don't have anything to prove, so why bother?" 

His comment seemed to be directed more at Meilin than about himself, because she flinched a little. But only a little. Her gaze returned to Tomoyo. "So, Tomoyo, are you going to the tournament, too?" 

Tomoyo paused for a brief second. Only Meilin and Li noticed the brief waver in her expression before she regained her composure. "Fighting tournaments aren't my cup of tea. I don't know much about martial arts, either, but I'll go if Sakura-chan is going." She glomped her brown-haired companion's arm with a smile that looked like a giggle. 

A large sweatdrop went down the side of Sakura's forehead. "U-um... I'll ask my dad." she smiled nervously. 

Li watched the two friends through his intense gaze and shook his head at Sakura's denseness. Everyone ignored the gesture or didn't think much about it. He turned back to Meilin, still looking as annoyed as ever. "Anyway, Meilin, we'd better go home. You don't want to spend all your time showing off." 

His voice was full of sarcasm and bitterness but Meilin took him literally. "Of course! You're right! If I practice here, then my potential opponents could see what I'm made of. I'm going home to train instead. Mark my words, I'll show you," she pointed in Sakura's general direction, "what I'm made of! Let's go Syaoran!" 

She left before her ears caught Li's annoyed reply of, "Am I your dog?!" 

With Li following reluctantly behind Meilin, the Chinese cousins left the school grounds. Sakura and Tomoyo stayed where they were, watching them leave. Sakura stood, too stunned at these recent turn of events. Everything happened so suddenly and right after school, too. She was unsure of what to say or do until Tomoyo tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Ne, Sakura-chan, is it all right if I stay over at your house tonight?" 

That question came unexpected, too. Even though the two were the best of friends, it was unusual for Tomoyo to want to leave the comforts of her own mansion, at least, that's how working-class-family-girl Sakura saw things. The brown-haired girl blinked in surprise. "Sure, Tomoyo-chan, anytime. But why?" 

The raven-haired girl smiled. "Because, I want to spend tonight with my best friend. Is there something wrong with that?" 

"N-no, of course not, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura waved her hands frantically as if to smooth over an insult that never happened. "You're my bestest friend in the whole world. Dad and -" she grumbled, "Touya would love to have you over." 

"Thank you, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo glomped onto Sakura's arm tighter and giggled. "I love you, too." 

* * *

Dinner at the Kinomoto's went well. Fujitaka - Sakura's father - and even Touya welcomed dainty Tomoyo with welcome arms. Sakura's father even went so far as to cook them a nice meal. It turned out that Sakura was allowed to spectate the tournament after all despite Touya's ill-placed comments about the tournament teaching Sakura to be a violent Godzilla. Her father gave her money for her ticket. Tomoyo commented that she would buy her own ticket as to not inconvenience anyone, although she sounded a bit reluctant. 

That night, Sakura's bed was shared as Tomoyo, clad in purple pajamas, sat on her half, waiting for Sakura to get dressed. "I appreciate you letting me stay overnight, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo spoke. 

"It's no problem, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura pulled over a pink pajama shirt. "You've let me stay over at your house many times so it's only fair for me to do the same." She looked over and saw Tomoyo videotaping her with that omnipresent camcorder. "HOE! Tomoyo-chan! You're cruel!" 

Tomoyo giggled. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I couldn't help it - you're so cute when you get dressed." 

"I-I see..." Sakura sweatdropped. 

Kero laid on his side of the table. "So you two are going to a martial arts competition tomorrow, huh? I wonder what it'll be like. I bet there'll be a lot of chop-sockey action to watch!" He stood and made some punches in the air like a boxer. 

"You're coming too, Kero-chan?" Sakura asked. 

"Of course I am! I wouldn't miss this for the world!" the stuffed bear grinned enthusiastically. 

However, Kero's enthusiasm only made Sakura worry even more. It was in her nature to worry obsessively. "But... what if someone saw you and you get caught?" 

"Don't worry, Sakura! Everyone will be too busy watching the fights to notice me. Besides, I'll stay well hidden in your knapsack or so." 

"I think tomorrow will be very interesting." Tomoyo spoke up. "I heard that this particular tournament is full contact. It must be very hard on the fighters." 

"'Full contact'?" Sakura repeated. 

"She means that nobody holds their punches." Kero explained. 

"Hoe!" Sakura yelped. "I'm really glad that I'm not in this competition!" 

"Don't worry. We'll be there to cheer in Meilin if anything happens to her." Tomoyo slipped under the covers and settled herself down. "Although, Meilin is very good. I don't think she needs any encouragement..." With that said, she closed her eyes. 

Sakura scratched her cheek with her finger, looking sheepish. "Tomoyo-chan is right. Meilin is a fighter and her own cheering section in one." She slipped under the covers herself. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, are you all right? I mean, it's not like you to ask for things on spur of the moment." 

"Hai, I'm fine." Tomoyo smiled. 

Silence continued. Tomoyo must have fallen asleep. "Well, if you say so, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura agreed. 

She crawled under the blankets herself and fell immediately to sleep. Tomoyo slinked over to Sakura and wrapped her arms around her, smiling as she slept. Meanwhile, Sakura noticed nothing. 

* * *

Although the Kinomoto household appeared to be sleeping, the Li household was not. Meilin was in the basement, continuing to train as hard as possible. Each punch was sharper than the last. Each kick was faster than the last. Each one of her movements had to be quick and precise, otherwise she would fail. Sweat trickled down her skin. 

"You'd better go to sleep or you won't be awake to gloat again tomorrow." came a familiar male voice. 

Meilin stopped what she was doing and turned around, panting. She was so intent on her training, she didn't even hear Li come down the stairs. "I have to keep practicing, Syaoran. My life depends on it." 

She continued. Li leaned on the wall and folded his arms. "You mean your pride." 

Punch. 

"You lied to Kinomoto and Daidouji earlier." Li continued. "You didn't get first place in the championships. You got second." 

Kick. 

"Face it. The only reason you're upset is because you don't want to lose to that person again, granted that person entering this year." 

Meilin winced a little. She knew that he was right. "Just give me another half an hour. I'll come to bed then." 

Li shrugged. "Suit yourself." he said and left. 


	2. Part 2

**Art of Ebony  
Part 2**

* * *

_Originally, this and Part 1 were merged but I split them because it was a bit long. Believe it or not, inspiration for this fic came from Harry Potter, hence the simplified prose. Cardcaptor Sakura and all characters are (C) CLAMP. This fic was made by a fan for fans. Please don't sue!_

* * *

Normally, little girls wake up to the sound of an alarm clock the next morning. But if you were a girl named Sakura Kinomoto, you eventually awoke to the sound of Kero-chan. 

"Good morning, Sakura! Time to wake up!" 

Sakura rubbed her eyes. "Kero-chan, you're actually awake this morning. Are you feeling okay?" 

"Of course I am! Why would I be?" Kero commented, flexing his arm. 

"I think you only woke up because you wanted to impress Tomoyo-chan." Sakura commented. 

Kero blushed. "O-of course not! Tomoyo was already awake by the time I woke up." 

Sakura looked around. Tomoyo's belongings were nowhere to be found. Neither was Tomoyo herself. "Tomoyo-chan? Where did she go?" 

"She said she was going outside to the backyard. Said also that she'll be around for breakfast." Kero shrugged. "I don't know what she's up to. But, more importantly, you have to be awake for today! It's already 8:00. You're going to be late for school." 

Sakura glanced at the clock. "Hoe! You're right!" she freaked and made a mad dash for her belongings. 

* * *

Kero was right. Tomoyo was around for breakfast. Her manners were impeccable and she thanked Touya graciously for cooking extra for her. Touya grunted a "You're welcome" that Tomoyo swore sounded like a "I wish you were Yukito". She giggled, then turned to Sakura who was looking very concerned. 

"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo blinked. "Is something the matter?" 

"Are you sure you're okay, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura pouted. 

Tomoyo paused, then burst into a quiet giggle. "You're so sweet, Sakura-chan. I'm so glad to have you for a best friend. But I'm all right. Why do you ask?" 

"Hmm..." Sakura poked her bacon. "I just feel like something is bothering you, that's all. Maybe it's just my imagination." 

"You worry about others so much. One of the many traits I love about you." Tomoyo smiled, all starry-eyed. 

"Eh..." Sakura blushed. 

Touya shook his head at his sister. Sakura noticed. "What, onii-chan?" 

"Nothing. Just watching the reactions I have to live with when you settle down with your future wife." 

"W-wife?!" Sakura yelped and Tomoyo giggled. 

"Whatever..." Touya stood. "You'd better get to school soon. Because if going to school this late becomes a habit for you, being a wife is all you can hope for." 

"Mou! Onii-chan, you're cruel!" Sakura cried as Touya left. 

Soon, Sakura packed her books, strapped on her rollerblading gear and was already out the door. Tomoyo, with her knapsack around her shoulders and her ever-present camcorder in her hand, was nearby. 

"Bye, onii-chan!" Sakura waved. "Come on, Tomoyo-chan!" 

"Coming!" Tomoyo called as Sakura left. But just before Tomoyo set foot outside the door, she felt someone grab her by the shoulder. With an "Eh?" and an immediate grab for that hand, she looked up and behind her and saw Touya. 

"You're hiding something from Sakura, aren't you?" 

"You... you... No, I'm not hiding anything." Tomoyo forced a smile. 

Touya shrugged. "Doesn't bother me, personally. I'm not your future to-be. What bothers me, though, is that you're hiding a secret from Sakura, who is your best friend." 

Tomoyo looked to the ground. "Sakura-chan already has her own problems. She doesn't need to know any that don't really concern her." 

"If you are really her friend, you'd tell her. That's what friends are for." Touya continued. 

"Mmm..." was all Tomoyo said before she took off herself. 

Touya closed the door behind Tomoyo. He wasn't going to say anything - he didn't know all the details, although he could make an educated guess. It was up to Tomoyo to tell Sakura. Although, he had a feeling that Tomoyo won't say anything. 

* * *

The bell rang, indicating recess. Sakura, Tomoyo, Meilin and Li hung around the classroom around Meilin's desk. Meilin sat on her desk, looking ashamed at herself. Li was to Meilin's left, his arms folded and his expression stern. Sakura and Tomoyo stood together at Meilin's right. 

"Aren't you going to tell them?" Li asked. 

Meilin fidgeted. 

Sakura blinked. "Tell us what?" 

"Tell them before I do." Li continued. 

"All right, all right." Meilin hugged her knees. "So I told a little fib yesterday. I didn't come in first in last year's tournament. I came in second." 

"'Last year'?" Li repeated as if to prod his cousin. 

"Okay, okay - the year before, and the year before that..." Meilin took a deep breath. "The truth is, I always came in second place. There's always one person much... well, she always came in first and beats me every year." 

"Wow... someone better than you, Meilin?" Sakura was in genuine awe. She couldn't imagine anyone being better than Meilin, except for maybe Li. "Who is it?" 

Li placed a magazine article, folded to a specific page, on Meilin's lap, adding more insult to his cousin's injury. Sakura and Tomoyo glanced at this complicated-looking chart. "Her name is Ritchner Kitohara. That's only her stage name. But every year, she won first place." 

"Not this year. This year," she stood, "I, Meilin, will claim first place in the children's division and prove to the world that I am the best!" 

As she said 'the best', she kept shooting glances towards her right. Sakura yelped. "What? I don't practice martial arts! What are you looking at me for?" 

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo placed her hands around Sakura's neck in an affectionate hug and looked at Meilin. "Meilin, I'm sure you will do fine in this year's finals. We'll be rooting for you!" 

Meilin grinned. "Of course I will! You can count on that, Tomoyo Daidouji!" 

Meanwhile, Li contemplated in silence. 

* * *

Tomoyo requested to stay over at Sakura's house again that night. Sakura now was thoroughly confused but again agreed. Whatever was bothering Tomoyo, it probably made her happy to stay over than to force her to go home. Still, Sakura wanted to know what was bothering Tomoyo, but Tomoyo kept changing the subject. The other Kinomoto's didn't mind Tomoyo's quiet presence. 

Sakura continued to ponder about Tomoyo as she went to bed. 

Where Sakura would have a dream about her chasing The Bunny with her wand. Not that there was any such card called The Bunny, but it was cute nonetheless. 

Ring! 

Ring! 

Sakura was awoken by the phone. She rubbed her tired eyes and glanced at the clock. 11:00 PM. She wondered why someone would be calling now of all times. Fujitaka had picked up the phone. Sakura could hear her father speak on the other end. Meanwhile, Kero and Tomoyo slept through it all. Then, Fujitaka's footsteps came up the stairs and knocked on Sakura's door. 

"Sakura, it's a call from Mrs. Daidouji. Can you please pick up the phone?" 

Sakura opened the door. "Thanks, dad." She closed the door, then paused to allow a wave of dread to pass. She had a feeling that Tomoyo's mother - Sonomi - meant business. But Sakura had to answer quickly before she was labeled rude, and placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?" she muttered groggily. 

"Sakura, is it? This is Tomoyo's mother." 

"What is it, Mrs. Daidouji?" 

"Is Tomoyo there? She didn't leave any message to her whereabouts, so I gathered that this would be the first and best place to look." 

"Yes, she's here. Why?" Sakura asked. 

"I want Tomoyo to come home immediately." 

"Eh? So late at night?" Sakura was awake now. "Wouldn't it be easier if she came home tomorrow morning?" 

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but this is urgent business. Tomoyo is to come home immediately. I will arrange for a ride if absolutely necessary." 

"Tell my mother I won't need a ride." Sakura whirled around and was surprised to see that not only was Tomoyo awake, she had heard the phone conversation somehow. Maybe it was because the house was so quiet and that Mrs. Daidouji was speaking very loudly. "I'll walk home." 

Sakura returned her attention to the phone. "Tomoyo-chan says that she'll walk home." 

"I understand. I expect to see her home as soon as possible." With that, Mrs. Daidouji hung up. 

"What was that all about..?" Sakura wondered. She turned around and saw Tomoyo already getting dressed and packing up. 

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo looked to the floor. She slung her bag over her shoulder, her camcorder nestled in her other hand. "I'm so sorry for being selfish." 

"It's okay, Tomoyo! Really, it's okay!" Sakura put a hand over Tomoyo's shoulders. "At least let me walk you to the door." 

The two girls crept quietly down the stairs. Fujitaka didn't ask Sakura what that was all about as she gave him the phone. It was none of his business. Besides, he could already guess what was going on, seeing Tomoyo walk to the door. 

Just before Tomoyo left for good, she turned to Sakura. "Please take care, Sakura-chan. Wish Meilin good luck for me." 

Sakura nodded. "I will. But Tomoyo-chan, what's going on? Why are you acting so strangely." 

Tomoyo looked to the side. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I... I'm just selfish, that's all." Bowing, she left the Kinomoto residence. 

Sakura watched Tomoyo leave. "Poor Tomoyo-chan... I wonder what's bothering her..." she wondered aloud before closing the front door. 

* * *

The streets were bare and silent, lit only by street lamps. Tomoyo continued on down the street, staring at the ground. Normally, a girl her age would be dead tired but she was wide awake. The last thing she wanted to do was to go home, but where else could she go? It was already selfish of her to ask Sakura to stay over. And the Li's? No, she didn't want to go to Li's house, mainly because Meilin was there. 

Speaking of Meilin... 

"What's with the down face?" called Meilin who stood atop a brick wall. 

Tomoyo looked up. "Meilin..." 

Meilin jumped down in front of Tomoyo. "I see that you couldn't stay at Sakura's after all. So, where are you going to go now?" She snapped her fingers. "I know! You could stay with _me_ tonight! Wouldn't that be grand? We can spend a whole night together!" 

Tomoyo shook her head, then sported her usual innocent smile. "No thanks, Meilin, but thank you very much for the offer." She tried to leave but was cut off by Meilin. 

"I see. So you're going to go home to your precious mommy, huh? You and I both know what's going to happen when you get home. You told me yourself what happens." 

"How did you know where to find me?" Tomoyo asked, pointing her now rolling camera at Meilin. She hoped the change of subject would distract Meilin. 

To the Japanese girl's relief, it did - "I called your mother's house earlier but you weren't home, so I figured that you'd be at Sakura's." - but not for long. "So, are you going to accept my invitation or not? It'd be a real shame if you didn't come tomorrow." 

Tomoyo held up her camcorder. "Meilin... I'm sorry." 

Meilin growled. "Fine, then! I'll show you what it feels like to have honour hurt!" 

The Chinese girl lunged at Tomoyo with an outstretched fist. Tomoyo screamed and flung her arm back, knocking her precious camcorder on the ground. As the sound of fists and scuffles continued, the camcorder continued to tape them... 

* * *

Just an hour had passed since that phone call when Tomoyo arrived at home. Not a hair was out of place nor any clothes touched. She regretted that during the scuffle, she had torn off and left her camcorder behind. She secretly hoped that Meilin had taken the camcorder and will give it to Sakura tomorrow, because Tomoyo herself had no intentions of going to that tournament tomorrow. But on the other hand, Tomoyo didn't want Sakura to see what was on that video... 

"Welcome home, Tomoyo dear." spoke the voice of Sonomi. 

Tomoyo dropped her school bag. In fear, she backed up to the door but it was automatically locked by electronic guard. Sonomi stepped in from underneath the shadows. Her voice was ragged and her smile was wicked. Very wicked. Tomoyo recognised that look - the very same one she was trying to avoid. 

"I-I'm home, mother. I'll be going to bed now." 

Not taking her eyes off of her mother, Tomoyo slid sideways towards the direction of her room, then took a mad dash for the hallway. Sonomi, however, was much faster and grabbed Tomoyo by the arm. She pulled her daughter in close, breathing down her neck. 

"Tomoyo, dear..." Sonomi's voice was not that of the sane world. "Put these on. Put them on, Tomoyo darling." 

Tomoyo shut her eyes as tightly as possible. She felt something cold and leathery pressed against her face, forcing her to open her eyes. She wished she didn't - directly in front of her were a pair of leather gloves. They were much too small for Sonomi, but Tomoyo knew them all too well. 

"Put on the gloves, Tomoyo dear. Put them on!" 

"No!" Tomoyo screamed before her mother lashed her across the face. 

"I said to put them on, Tomoyo! Do as you're told!" Tomoyo's mother commanded. 

"No, mother! I know what you'll do to me if I do! What difference does it make if I wear them or not? It's all the same!" 

"Do it! Now!" Sonomi bellowed and shoved one of the gloves over Tomoyo's fist. 

If tears had a certain speed for Tomoyo's moods, they had never flowed any faster. 


	3. Part 3

**Art of Ebony  
Part 3**

* * *

_Originally, this and Part 4 were merged but I split them because it was a bit long. Cardcaptor Sakura and all characters are (C) CLAMP. This fic was made by a fan for fans. Please don't sue!_

* * *

An early alarm woke Sakura from her slumber but like most children her age, she simply shut off the sound and went back to sleep. However, ever-present Kero was already awake before her and shook Sakura with as much force as he could muster. 

"Sakura! Hurry! You have to wake up as soon as possible! Today is the day of the tournament and we can't be late! Your dad will be driving down to the arena any minute now and... and..." 

"Don't worry, Kero-chan. We'll make it on time." Sakura muttered, rubbing her eyes and forcing her weary body to slide out of the bed. 

As she got dressed, she couldn't help but think of Tomoyo. Wait, of course! "Kero-chan! Do you think Tomoyo is coming today? She said she will come." 

"I don't know." Kero said honestly as Sakura placed him in her knapsack. "She did seem a bit reluctant." 

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to give her a call." 

"If you say so, Sakura. I think you worry about others so much that you forget to worry about yourself sometimes." 

Sakura, fully dressed and knapsack in tow, went downstairs, picked up the phone and dialed Tomoyo's phone number as fast as possible. Her father was already calling for her to come. She hopped anxiously on one foot, hoping Tomoyo would answer. 

"Hello, Daidouji residence." spoke the voice on the other end, finally. It was a servant. 

"Ah, hello. This is Sakura Kinomoto." Sakura gulped. "Is Tomoyo there? She was going to go with me to..." 

"I'm sorry, dear, but Tomoyo isn't available at the moment." 

'Eh?' Now Sakura was worried. "What happened to her?" 

"Don't worry about it, dear. She'll be fine. Just have fun today." 

"O-okay. Thank you very much." Sakura bowed, although the servant couldn't see her, and hung up the phone. 

"Sakura! I'm in the car!" Fujitaka called from outside. 

"Hai! I'm coming!" Sakura ran out the door as fast as possible. Her father noticed how out of breath and hectic she was. 

"Is something the matter, Sakura? You seem a bit frantic." 

Quickly, Sakura explained about Tomoyo's weird behaviour and about Tomoyo's mother over the phone. For a brief second, Fujitaka's eyes were hidden behind the reflection of his glasses. Then, he blinked. "Well, you know, Tomoyo is a busy girl. I'm sure that she and her mother have something to do today. Don't worry about it too much, Sakura." 

"Mmm... okay." Sakura nodded. If there was anyone she could rely on besides Tomoyo, it was her father. 

Soon, they were on their way. Sakura tried her best to not think about Tomoyo. Today was the day of the big tournament. She had to cheer Meilin on, and that was her duty. She resolved, however, that after today, she will confront Tomoyo once and for all. 

* * *

Unfortunately, there was a lot of traffic along the way and Sakura was late once she arrived. The arena was still very crowded nonetheless. Mr. Kinomoto dropped Sakura off at the entrance where Li, boy who somehow knew she'd be an hour late, was waiting for her. He was dressed normally and not in his full green robes. He was serious about him not entering, despite the fact he was a talented martial artist himself. 

"This way." Li said briskly, wanting to avoid as much speech contact with Sakura as possible. 

Sakura paid her way in and she followed Li into the spectator's seat he had saved for her. She felt lucky that from where she sat, she had a clear view of the ring. 'But then again, Li-kun has been to these tournaments before, so of course he'd know where to sit.' she thought to herself. 

The tournament had already taken place. At the very bottom, in the center of the room was a large ring. It looked like one of those boxing rings, and Sakura wouldn't be surprised if it was. Surrounding the large ring were many other smaller ones marked off by duct tape where kids already were pitted against each other. 

According to Li, this was the simplest way to eliminate as many competitors as possible, then choose the top three to go on to the real tournament. The 'block competitions', as he called them, were no contact, which meant no hitting opponents was allowed - a near-hit strike to a weak point above the belt would suffice. 

Sakura merely nodded. All her fears about Meilin being hurt were put to rest, but at the same time, she was still wondering about Tomoyo's problem. Even in all this commotion, she still couldn't get her best friend out of her mind. 

"Kinomoto..." Li spoke up. 

"Hm? What is it, Li-kun?" 

"I... I have something to give you." Li dug into his knapsack and produced Tomoyo's camcorder, of which he pressed into Sakura's hands. "Give this back to Daidouji after the tournament." 

Sakura blinked. "T-Thanks, Li-kun. But what are you doing with Tomoyo-chan's camcorder?" 

Li didn't reply. 

Sakura gave him a semi-suspicious glance - as suspicious as she could get - but she put the camcorder in her knapsack with Kero. The Clow guardian was just as confused as to why Li had the video recorder but Sakura shrugged, indicating that she didn't know. 

Soon enough, the tournament preliminaries had finished and a young announcer's voice blared over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome once again to the 10th annual Worldwide Children's Kumite Tournament where budding young minds learn to test their newfound skills against the world! Now we have reached the real tournament. Each competitor has 3 minutes to win their match in this single-elimination, full-contact tournament." 

Gasps and murmurs from the audience accompanied that remark. 

"Yes, full contact. Only the best will win in this free for all. However, weapons of any kind, disabling pressure points and fatal attacks are not permitted by strict law. While this tournament is full-contact, please be assured that we have the finest of medical care behind the scenes. The first competitor to get 5 points wins the match. Now, onto the battle!" 

"S-scary... Even if fatal blows aren't permitted, it doesn't make me feel any better." Sakura shuddered. "I feel bad for the poor people here." 

"Sounds like a definite no-holds barred!" Kero grinned, peaking out through the knapsack. "I can't wait!" 

The announcer continued. "Now, let us begin!" 

A giant chart, similar to the one Sakura saw earlier, appeared on a giant screen, along with two names. "Meet our first contestants - Jeffrey Spier and Pierre Dufont!" 

The battles raged on wildly. In the heat of the battle, Sakura even glomped on Li's arm in fear, to which he immediately pushed her off. Then finally, Meilin's name appeared. 

"Now, we have Meilin vs Rin Rin!" 

Meilin vaulted into the ring in a very fancy gymnastics flip and landed, hands on hips, grinning confidently. Dressed in her Chinese battle garb, she was ready to take on anyone. Her opponent was a girl much her age and similar in appearance to her, only her hair was an interesting shade of blue. 

"Umm... why am I here again?" the girl named Rin Rin looked puzzled. 

Meilin stomped her foot in annoyance. "Because you're supposed to fight me, you dolt! That's why!" 

Rin Rin blinked. "Oh yeah! Well, good luck to you!" 

"You're the one who's going to need good luck," Meilin entered a crane stance, "because you'll need it!" 

The referee held his arm upwards. "Ready..." he swung downwards in between the two girls, "BEGIN!" 

This battle was none like Sakura had ever seen. Meilin proved to have as much skill as her ego claimed as she deftly dodged Rin Rin's attacks and struck precisely, quickly gaining her 3 points within the first minute. However, Rin Rin made a nice comeback in the second minute, scoring her a quick four points. Then, down to the final minute - Rin scored herself another point, then Meilin one. The score was 4-4 - the next attack will determine the winner. 

'I have to win. I have to win. I have to win...' Meilin chanted in her head. 

Sakura stood on her feet. "Meilin! Go, Meilin! Give it your best!" 

"Go, Meilin!" Kero cheered too. He was too caught up in the heat of the battle to notice that he was speaking out loud. Li bonked him on the head as a 'friendly' reminder. 

Meilin grit her teeth as she spun around to avoid a swift punch from her opponent. She heard Sakura's voice loud and clear. 'That's right. I have to win, no matter what! For I am Meilin and I am the best in the world!' 

The young, black-haired warrior ducked to avoid a kick, then came back with a rising knifehand strike to Rin Rin's jaw. The blue-haired one fell back and stopped when the referee's whistle blew. To her dismay, Meilin had clearly gotten that point. Which meant that Meilin had 5 points. 

She had won the battle. 

"The winner of this match is Meilin! Everyone, give a round of applause for our defending second place champions!" the announcer cried. "Will she manage to win first place this year? Only time will tell." 

The crowd went wild in response to Meilin's win, and she ate up the attention like a delicious meal. Sakura was among one of the many who gave standing ovations. Even Kero, who Li had to remind again. But other than the bonk to Kero's head, Li remained his usual unfazed self. 

The battles continued on. Eventually, Sakura broke down. "Li, this is so violent!" Sakura cried, glomping his arm again. "I can't imagine doing this myself! I mean, I feel really bad for all those kids who get hurt. I'm so lucky that..." 

"And now, the match you've all been waiting for... Roland Speiling versus Ritchner Kitohara!" 

The crowd went wild. This time, Li didn't shrug Sakura off, mainly because he seemed to be so intently focused on the Ritchner name. Sakura noticed. "What's the matter, Li?" she asked, then followed his gaze to the name. "Oh! Ritchner Kitohara! That's the girl that's supposed to be the best, right? Are you interested in her?" 

Li was silent before he replied. "Kinomoto, there's something that I have to let you know... about Kitohara's real identity." 

Sakura blinked as Li handed her a magazine article. "Ritchner Kitohara... first started martial arts as soon as she was able to walk. Ritchner Kitohara is only her pen name. Her real name is..." And then her eyes trailed onto the girl's photo. Her eyes flew open in shock. "No... no, it can't be.." 

She looked at the photo and then down to the ring. In the exact same position and the exact same appearance was that girl. Her thick black hair was in a tight french braid. She was clad in a gi of pure black, even darker than her hair, and a red bandanna was tied around her forehead. To the world, that was Ritchner Kitohara, but to Sakura, that was... 

"... Tomoyo-chan?!" 

* * *

Down by the ringside, Tomoyo glanced into the spectator stands. Sakura made it after all. For a brief moment, Tomoyo looked sad. 'I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't want you to see this. But now, I guess I can't avoid the issue any longer.' 

She climbed into the ring, then adjusted her dark blue gloves, glaring intensely at her opponent - a boy a year older than she with dirty blond hair and looked like a deadringer for a Hanson brother. He grinned at Tomoyo. "So, Ritchner, you're even cuter than your magazine pictures. How about after I beat you, I'll take you out to dinner." 

"No thank you." Tomoyo politely declined. "There's already someone else who's captured my heart." 

"And it isn't me? I'm so hurt!" Roland placed his hands over his heart. 

The referee sent his hand downwards. "Ready... BEGIN!" 

Sakura didn't know much about fighting or martial arts. So she just stared dumbly at her friend in the mere shock of that secret. 

Li, on the other hand, was as much knowledgable about martial arts as he was with magic and Clow Cards - which meant he knew alot - but he still acted like it was no big deal. He had seen it all before. He glanced at Sakura. "You okay there, Kinomoto?" 

Sakura's hands were trembling to the point where Kero placed his own paws upon her. "I... I didn't know about Tomoyo-chan. Not kind, gentle Tomoyo-chan. Why didn't she tell me that she's a fighter? I don't think there's anything wrong with that." 

"Hm..." Li still sounded a bit uninterested, but a little less so than usual. "There are some things which some people choose to keep secret." 

"But... but... I don't get it..." 

Suddenly, the crowd gasped, interrupting Sakura. "Look!" Kero cried, pointing to the match. 

Tomoyo was ahead of Roland, 3-0. But apparantly, Roland had pulled a last-minute foot sweep on poor Tomoyo and, before Tomoyo could react, Roland had already claimed his point. Some spectators argued how cheap the foot sweep was while the officials claimed that only blows to the groin were banned. "Foot sweeps and the like are just fine." 

"Hm. People should get out more often." Li commented. 

Sakura wasn't sure how to take that comment. Some people may not be knowledgeable about fighting, but they would about other things. She told her feelings to Li, to which he responded, "I guess you're right." 

'_Well, at least he agreed with me, sort of._' Sakura thought to herself. 

Down in in the ring, Roland grinned at Tomoyo. "So, Kitohara, I bet you weren't expecting that, were you? Maybe next time I should snatch a sweet kiss." 

Tomoyo merely adjusted her gloves and said nothing. She glanced at Sakura, who was watching her with intense worry, then back at Roland with fierce determination. '_I'm sorry to make you worry, Sakura-chan. I don't know if I can tell you the truth about me... I'm not being very fair to you, am I?_' 

"BEGIN!" 

Roland bided his time. He knew that Kitohara was at her best with counterattacking. Tomoyo realized his strategy and also knew she had to make the first move. But a first move can also be one's last. She jumped forward slightly and stomped the ground, hoping Roland would take the bait. 

He did. 

He thought that all of Tomoyo's weight was on her front leg and he attempted another foot sweep. But, her weight was centered and it was no big effort to shift her weight to her back leg and easily avoid the attack. Roland went back to his feet and swung around with a knifehand strike. Tomoyo grabbed him by the arm, her other hand grabbed his gi, and she flipped him over. Roland came down to the ring with a crash. 

Fans and supporters of Roland shouted and protested. However, the ring judges again said nothing to stop the match. "This throw was very legal. Roland had broken his fall, hadn't he? He's perfectly fine." 

Perfectly fine physically, yes. However, Tomoyo managed to score a point on him. Point 5 came soon after. 

"The winner is Ritchner Kitohara! Everyone, give a round of applause for our defending champion!" 

More wild applause. Tomoyo bowed politely, mainly directed towards Sakura, and left the ring. 

Sakura was torn. As she applauded as fast as possible, she was torn if to give her cheer her all or be utterly shocked and hurt. Suddenly, she tore off. 

"Kinomoto--" Li called with an outstretched hand. 

"Where are you going, Sakura?" Kero cried. 

But Sakura was already out of earshot. Even if she wasn't allowed backstage, she had to go see Tomoyo about this once and for all. 


	4. Part 4

**Art of Ebony  
Part 4**

* * *

_I **think** that full-contact tournaments have an age limit in that you have to be a certain age to compete. (I forget, tournaments are banned around here now -_-) But the reason why this tournie is full contact is for an excuse to do a spiffy fight scenes. ^^;; Cardcaptor Sakura and all characters are (C) CLAMP. This fic was made by a fan for fans. Please don't sue!_

* * *

In the locker room, Meilin slid off her boots, allowing her feet some rest. She was thoroughly furious with herself. Sure she managed to get a good win, but it was still 5-4 while _Ritchner_... _Tomoyo_... won 5-1. To make things worse, Li was watching her from the stands with that same unfazed expression. How she wanted to get him to smile for her. But he never smiled for anyone... 

Rin Rin came up to her. "Umm... good match, I think. I don't remember it all, but congratulations anyway!" 

"Do you _mind_?!" Meilin snapped. "I'm contemplating here!" 

Rin Rin blinked. "Oh, sorry..." she apologised innocently and left. 

Meilin slipped off her other boot. '_It's not fair. How come everyone else gets to be special and I don't?_' 

Her mind flashbacked to moments when Sakura would outdo her in gymnastics and baton twirling. The Japanese girl looked so cheerful as all her friends would crowd around her and call her great. Then, there's Meilin, in the back, not loved at all. 

'_Is everyone just seeking to outdo me?_' 

She closed her eyes and pictured last night when she attacked Tomoyo. She remembered the thorough bruises and bumps she sustained afterwards while Tomoyo walked off without a scratch. But more than anything, her pride was hurt. 

_"What are you doing with Daidouji's camcorder?" Lee had asked. _

"T-this?" Meilin had laughed sheepishly and hid the camcorder behind her back. 

"Let me see." Lee shad natched the camcorder away from Meilin. The female cousin didn't say a word. She had probably wanted him to see, and that he did. "I see. You challenged Daidouji again, didn't you?" 

Meilin had nodded miserably. 

Li had given her a look that was half condescending but half in sympathy. Her precious Syaoran, giving her _sympathy_? "I'll return this tomorrow. Seriously, go to bed." 

No one was left in the locker room. Meilin curled up into a corner and hugged her knees. '_I'm not worth anything, am I?_' she thought to herself and sobbed. 

* * *

"Step aside, girl." the security guard bellowed, pushing Sakura away with his arm. 

"But I absolutely _have_ to see Tomoyo-chan... I mean Kitohara-san!" Sakura insisted as she tried to push her way through. "Please, let me see her! It's very important!" 

"You and all the other news media people. Now, step aside..." 

"It's okay, sir. Please let her through. She is my best friend." spoke a gentler voice from behind the guard. Sakura immediately recognised her as Tomoyo. The dark-haired girl slipped under the guard's arm and to Sakura. "What's the matter, Sakura-chan?" 

Sakura didn't let a moment pass when she poured out her feelings. "Why didn't you tell me? I'm you friend, aren't I? Tomoyo-chan... I would have understood. What's so wrong about being a martial artist? I'm on the cheerleading team and there's nothing wrong with that, right?" 

"It's not like that, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo looked to the ground. She closed her eyes, trying to force back tears. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan... I'm really sorry!" And with that, she ran off. 

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura called, slipping past the guard and trying to keep up but was pushed around by too many people. Eventually, Tomoyo was gone. She fell to her knees. "Why... why won't she tell me anything?" 

Just then, Li of all people came up to her. He held out a hand to help her up. "Come back with me, Kinomoto. There's something you ought to see." 

* * *

"Wasn't that last match spectacular, ladies and gentlemen?" the announcer blared. "Niharu has accepted his gracious defeat and allowed Seto to snatch 3rd place! And how, here is the grand moment you've ALL been waiting for, the bout for 1st and 2nd place! In the left corner, we have the beautiful Meilin!" 

The crowd roared as Meilin entered her corner of the ring. Her grin was full of confidence, although now it was obvious she used that grin to hide her sadness. She waved to her captive audience. '_First place will be mine. No matter what. I have to prove to myself that I am the best!_' 

"And in the right corner, we have our equally beautiful returning champion, Ritchner Kitohara!" 

The crowd's cheers didn't let up one bit as Tomoyo entered the ring. She appeared somewhat sad as she glanced at the stands - first Sakura, then someone directly behind her. 

"Every year, these two young ladies fight for first place! Will Ritchner snag the title again or will Meilin come from behind to finally win the first place she deserves?" 

* * *

Up in the stands, Li dragged Sakura back to her seat. "Li-kun! What's the matter?" 

Li shoved a pair of binoculars at Sakura, then pointed to the stands directly behind Tomoyo. "There. Do you recognise that woman?" 

Sakura peered through the binoculars at the direction Li was showing her. Sitting right at in the front row was Sonomi, screaming something or the other at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were insane, that of a psychopath. It gave Sakura the chills just watching her an imagining what was going on through her mind. "Li-kun... that's Tomoyo's mom, isn't it?" 

Li nodded. "She's up to something. I don't trust that look." 

"Li-kun... You don't think that Tomoyo's mother is the cause of her suffering, do you?" 

The Chinese boy said nothing. 

* * *

Back in the ring, Tomoyo nodded towards Meilin as she approached her. "Meilin... it's been awhile, hasn't it?" 

"Damn straight!" Meilin grinned. 

Before Meilin could continue with her bravado, Tomoyo started up again. "If you want... I'll forfeit." 

Meilin looked at Tomoyo, appalled, as if Tomoyo said the dirtiest word known to any language. "Forfeit?! What for?" 

"I mean..." Tomoyo looked to the side, "you've worked so hard to get here, you deserve first place. Besides, I don't even want to be..." 

Tomoyo was cut off by Meilin's stomp on the ground. "Don't you _dare_ forfeit! Look, Daidouji, I know you've been through alot - you told me yourself - but just think of the damage you'll do to me if you forfeit. You think that I came all the way here, training my heart out, just so I can be _handed_ first place? No! This is a test of my skills, _Kitohara_, and if I beat you fair and square, then it proves to me that I _am_ the best." She pointed at Tomoyo. "I want nothing but the best effort from you, otherwise I'll never forgive you!" 

Tomoyo nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Meilin..." 

"Fighters, take your places." the referee called. The two girls went into their stances. "Ready... BEGIN!" 

Tomoyo wanted to finish this fight quickly and came with a quick backfist jab. Meilin must have been used to such tactics for she easily swapped Tomoyo's arm upwards with a left rising block and aimed for a punch to Tomoyo's armpit. The Japanese girl spun out of the way, avoiding the blow. But the second she came for another attack, Meilin already had a spearhand pointing at Tomoyo's eyebrow. 

"Point for Meilin!" the announcer yelled. The fighters returned to their ready positions and the referee called, "BEGIN!" 

Yet another quick strike landed Meilin another point. 

"Another point for Meilin! The score is 2-0." 

"BEGIN!" 

But as Tomoyo raised her guard, Meilin lowered hers. The Chinese girl gave her opponent a glare which said, "Stop holding back! Fight me! I don't want an easy win. I want a _real_ victory." 

That look was all Tomoyo needed to make her own quick attack. 

"Point for Kitohara!" cried the announcer. 

And another quick attack, this time before Meilin could even blink. Tomoyo slid on the ground, feet first, and caught Meilin between her feet, then twisted her weight sideways, causing Meilin to fall over. The Chinese girl held out an arm to recover but not before Tomoyo released her grip and pivoted on one foot with a backfist aimed at Meilin's forehead. 

"Another point for Kitohara!" 

Meilin was quivering. Tomoyo noticed, but this time she didn't back down, and scored yet another quick point. 

"Yet another point for Kitohara! Wow, ladies and gentlemen! Only a minute has passed and already the score is 3-2. Meilin showed a strong start by gaining two points, but Kitohara came from behind to score a quick 3 points in a row. Is this only a taste of what's yet to come?" 

Meilin glared at Tomoyo, panting from exhaustion. '_I can't lose. Daidouji, you have nothing to lose. But I have everything!_' 

'_Please don't look at me like that, Meilin._' Tomoyo thought. '_You're here because you want to be. But I..._' 

"Tomoyo!" screamed Tomoyo's not-so-sane mother from the stands. "If you don't win, you'll be sorry!" 

"BEGIN!" 

Meilin grinned, punching Tomoyo and knowing that the Japanese girl would step to the side, which she did. "Well, Tomoyo, looks like someone will be quite disappointed when you lose." 

"Meilin..." Tomoyo easily deflected a kick, "how can you say such a thing?" 

"Because, dear _Kitohara_, you know what's going to happen to you when you lose. Your momma is going to-" 

"Don't say it, Meilin!" Tomoyo cried, but had let her guard down for Meilin had scored a quick point. 

"3-4!" 

* * *

Sakura stood. "Li-kun! Meilin said something to Tomoyo-chan and scored herself a point! What happened there?" 

"Sit down, Kinomoto." was all Li said. 

"But..." Sakura reluctantly returned to her seat. 

Li folded his arms, frowning deeply. '_You would go so far as to exploit your enemy weakness. I don't know if to congratulate you or to frown upon that._' 

* * *

Down in the ring, Tomoyo had scored another point. Now, the score was 4-4. The next point would declare the victor. Each fighter panted heavily, waiting in anticipation. Any next move could be their last. 

'_I can't lose..._' Meilin grit her teeth. '_I have to prove to everyone - Sakura, Syaoran, Daidouji... myself... that I am worthwhile, that I'm not second best!_' 

'_I can't lose..._' Tomoyo put on a face of determination. '_It doesn't matter if I win or lose, the outcome is still the same. But I don't want to be..._' She heard her mother scream more at her. '_I don't want to be..._' 

The two girls rushed at each other simultaneously. 

All of a sudden, Sonomi snapped. It was as if she was waking up from a trance or sleepwalking. Looking around curiously, she then realized where she was and saw her daughter in a fighting ring. She had never been so apalled in her life and her face certainly didn't hide that fact. "Tomoyo Daidouji! What are you doing up there? Get down here at once! What did I tell you about entering these things--?" 

The second she finished her sentence, silence filled the room. The two girls had struck each other. But between the fighters and the audience, it was a clear decision of who won. They returned to their positions, bowed to each other, shook hands - Meilin reluctantly - and left the ring. 

The score was 5-4. Tomoyo had won once again. 

"And the winner, claiming her fifth championship in a row, is Ritchner Kitohara! Everyone, give her and her opponent - who had put up a genuinely great fight - rounds of applause!" 

The crowds never cheered any louder. Sakura jumped up and down, waving her arms as if she had pom-poms, then grabbed her bag and ran off. Li watched her leave, then returned his attention to the ringside. 

"Are you okay, Meilin?" Tomoyo asked with genuine concern. 

Meilin got to her feet, grinning. "Couldn't have been better!" she declared, hands on hips, although to Tomoyo, something was off about her expression and tone of voice. "You see? That was a good match. It just means I'll have to try harder next year." 

"Meilin..." Tomoyo held out her hand for a handshake but was promptly refused. 

"I'll be going now. See you around!" Meilin gave Tomoyo a two-finger salute and left the ring. 

Sakura, who had somehow managed to find her way around the guards and to the ringside, climbed through the ropes and threw her arms around Tomoyo. "Tomoyo-chan! You won! I'm so glad you're okay!" she giggled with an audiable, "Hanyan!" 

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo returned the affectionage glomp, smiling broadly. To her, Sakura's affection was worth so much more than any trophy or title. 

Kero poked his head out of the knapsack. "So, why didn't you tell us you kicked ass sooner, Tomoyo?" 

Before Tomoyo could answer, Mrs. Daidouji came upon the scene. She didn't seem all too pleased. Sakura instinctively moved to the side, however still holding Tomoyo supportively by the shoulders. Tomoyo was trembling. Kero returned to hiding in the bag. 

"Tomoyo, what are you doing here?" Mrs. Daidouji demanded, putting her hands on her hips. 

"Ma... mama..." was all Tomoyo could say. 

Sakura was utterly confused. Did Mrs. Daidouji not want Tomoyo here? But then why was she cheering her daughter so intensely earlier? 

"You're coming home with me, Tomoyo, immediately." Mrs. Daidouji grabbed her daughter by the wrist. Sakura protested, still holding Tomoyo's shoulders, but Mrs. Daidouji brushed her off. "Let go, Sakura. You will see Tomoyo tomorrow at school." 

"But... but... what are you going to do to Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked. 

"Let go before I call your father!" 

Sakura reluctantly let go. Tomoyo gave her a last sad glance of, "I'm sorry," before being dragged off by her mother. The brown-haired girl was speechless. She didn't know what to say or do. 

Kero poked his head out of the bag. "Man, that was one crazy lady." he commented. "We'd better go before your dad gets worried about you, Sakura." 

Sakura bowed her head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." 

* * *

Meilin wasn't seen for the next hour. Nobody saw her leave the locker room. As a matter of fact, she was still in there, alone, hugging her knees and sobbing her eyes out. Just then, the door opened. She ceased her crying and looked up to see who had heard her make such shameful noises. But it was only Li. 

"Syaoran...?" Meilin blinked in surprise. 

"Yeah?" Li replied. He had this look that said, 'I don't care that I'm in the girl's locker room.' "What are you still doing here?" 

Meilin choked. She couldn't hold her tears back any longer. "Syaoran... Syaoran... I'm so sick of it! I'm so sick of being worthless!" She threw herself at Li. "Syaoran... tell me that I'm not worthless..." 

Li wrapped his arms around his cousin. "If you're useless, I haven't noticed... because you're not." 

The two sat alone in silence and Meilin's tears. 

* * *

Sakura was surprisingly quiet on the way home. She was too in shock over Mrs. Daidouji's behaviour to say anything at the moment. Whenever her father asked her questions about the tournament, Sakura returned one-word answers or a cheerful, "It was fun!" 

Finally, Sakura was unable to hide her feelings any longer. She told her father everything, from Tomoyo being in the tournament to Mrs. Daidouji's strange behaviour. Mr. Kinomoto listened patiently, nodding after each sentence. Sakura finished with, "You must think I'm crazy, don't you?" 

Fujitaka was silent. His expression was grave, as Sakura saw through the rear-view window. "Sakura, I know Tomoyo is your best friend, but don't get caught up in her problems. She wouldn't want that." 

"Why not?" Sakura protested. "What if Tomoyo-chan is hurt? I can't sit by and watch her suffer!" 

"Sakura..." 

"Please, dad! Please tell me. I don't care if I get in trouble for the rest of my life! Please..." Sakura cut herself short. '_Oh no, Sakura, you've done yourself in! Now you're really in trouble!_' 

To her surprise, Fujitaka exhaled in defeat. He rolled up the windows as a safety precaution. "What I'm going to tell you can't leave this car, okay? You must promise me." 

"Okay." Sakura promised, now realizing that she was right all along - the situation was just as bad as she thought. 

Fujitaka paused again, then finally spoke. "You know that your mother and Tomoyo's mother used to be the best of friends," he started, adding under his breath, 'Maybe even more than that...' "Ever since childhood, Mrs. Daidouji hasn't been the most normal of people. She was fascinated with the dark arts - Dark Martial Arts, that is. Her obsession grew worse ever since your mother died. So bad, in fact, that Mrs. Daidouji forced her own daughter to practice them." 

"Hoe!! You can't be serious..." Sakura started. A million thoughts raced through her head. '_Poor Tomoyo-chan!_' '_But why couldn't she tell me? Is she that afraid of her mother?_' '_How can I help her?_' '_What should I do?_' 

"If anything, be there for her, Sakura." Fujitaka continued. He was talking about Tomoyo. "But don't let anyone else on this secret. It's bad enough that I know... that I couldn't do anything in my power to stop her..." 

Sakura was forced to nod. "Okay... I'll keep my nose out of her business now." 

But those words were the opposite of her intentions. 

'You tried your best, dad. Now it's my turn to help out Tomoyo-chan by doing anything in _my_ power to save her.' 


End file.
